Round and round we go

Day Total: No Riding

We didn’t have to ride today. In that regard, it was indeed restful. Apart from that it was very warm, the hotel had little or no water so showers were limited or non-existent, and the availability of food was quite limited. My father booked us a hotel room though its construction was such that it warmed all day and radiated heat to the inside of the room all night. After trying to sleep in it for roughly 3 hours I dragged my sleeping mat out to the front stoop and slept there. This worked well until the winds died at 3:30am at which time the assault from the mosquitoes was so powerful that I was driven back into the oven-like room. Argh.

The neighboring hotel (the Swain Hotel – a note to future riders, pre-book here) offered breakfast, so I awoke at 6:30am and made the trek over with several others. What a treat: a buffet consisting of eggs, crepes, fresh juice, doughnuts, cereal. This choice was even more sensible when I received the reports of total disaster accompanying breakfast at our hotel. Sometimes you get lucky…

Clothes washing next on the agenda. Normally this is a straightforward task involving filling a bucket with water, adding detergent, inserting the clothes, agitating, and rinsing. Today’s laundry session involved dropping a small bucket (an empty paint can) 10 feet into a tank of water, hauling it up, dumping it in the bucket, and repeating 11 times to fill it. Comedy ensued when I dropped the bucket into the bottom of the well and had to fish it out with a long stick. Sometimes your luck falls short…

Dinner was the usual, safe go-to food when the kitchen looks sketchy: spaghetti with meat sauce. I consumed 7 plates of this dish in the past 36 hours, no two the same, no one better than the other. Cold noodles seemed to be the norm as did too little sauce.

I opted to pitch my tent for tonight’s sleep, and as I type this, I am very happy with my decision. The winds are slipping between the trees and the cool night air is passing through my tent. Sleep will come easily tonight, thankfully, as we have 7 consecutive days of riding (5 offroad) before the next rest day.